Afternoon tea is a "keeper by the dozen": Festive fun and fabulous food with family and friends

BTS' organized an afternoon tea, a "keeper by the dozen". Lovely pins and fascinators. More to come!

Last month, Barb's Tea Service organized a first (and more to come!) afternoon tea get-together with family and friends. The pretty-in-pink tearoom in New Baltimore tearoom let us know that a dozen guests is their "sweet spot", so we reserved the newly redecorated side parlor for twelve tea invitees. 

Assembling before the tea trek to Anchor Bay.

This was a special gathering of afternoon tea veterans and ingenues, moms, daughters, in-laws, and best-teas. And, for a bit of festive fun, we asked guests to adorn a favorite pin. The broaches ranged from newly acquired to vintage and heirloom. All were beautiful and all with interesting backstories. 

Guests were encouraged to wear a favorite pin. Carol brought two!

We also loved the fascinators!  Everyone brought their A-game (or should we say Tea-game?) in afternoon tea attire.

Rachel provides instructions on the proper way to eat a scone.

As the "just delicious scones" were served first, Rachel (daughter and BTS ops and co-owner) provided instruction on the proper way to eat the quintessential afternoon tea treat. 

Enjoying a variety of tea in fancy china!

Most traveled a fair distance, including one crossing a state border to attend. But, we appreciated those who came to gather over tea, scones and conversation.

This tearoom's specialty:  just delicious scones!

And everyone left with a scone goody bag.  I selected the 💗-shaped scone, as it summed up my feelings for all the lovely ladies who attended.

Heart-shaped scone in my goody bag.

It was the first, but certainly not the last, of afternoon tea gatherings. As we are known to say at BTS, please stay tuned! 

It's the Great Glass Green Pumpkin! A new New York addition to our collection.

Our new green glass pumpkin arrived from Brooklyn's Urban Glass and it did not disappoint!

Like Linus in Charlie Brown's Halloween classic, we believe in great pumpkins. But, unlike Charlie Brown's best friend, our expectation of a great pumpkin's visit didn't disappoint -  it was real, it was spectacular and it came from Brooklyn's Urban Glass.

This month my husband, Chris, and I,  were in New York for our son and daughter-in-law's wedding and, on our last full day in Brooklyn, enroute from our hotel to the newlywed's home, we passed by Urban Glass. Their retail shop got our attention immediately, but since we were short on time, we decided we'd come back the next day before heading to the airport.

Picture taken from outside the store. Beautiful pumpkins (and more!)

Unfortunately, in our haste, we had failed to look at their posted hours, and, as we returned on Monday, Urban Glass was closed. However, we were hoping we could still be recipients of one of their beautiful glass gourds, so we snapped a few pictures and focused in on the one we wished to add to our ever-growing glass pumpkin menagerie.

Back in Detroit, I sent an email to Urban Glass with the photo and the request for the third pumpkin from the left. Not long after I hit "send", I received a most friendly call from Megan who already had our prized pumpkin set aside. After the requisite contact and payment information, our special delivery was sent and, what seemed like less time than Linus spent waiting in the patch for his great pumpkin, it arrived at our door. 

Our Brooklyn pumpkin resides with other similarly hued glass gourds in our collection.

The great green pumpkin is beautiful and an impressive addition to our collection (see our recent blog story "It's beginning to look a lot like Autumn. .  . Pumpkins in all the colors of the Rainbow"). We're now grouping it with our emerald pumpkin from Newport, RI and our "Monet" special edition from Harbor Springs, MI. I'm quite certain, this will not be the last of our purchases from Urban Glass.

In fact, we learned that Urban Glass, in addition to a wide selection of glass items, offers classes as well. Perhaps a class or two may also be in the future.

Our great pumpkin did not disappoint. In that spirit, we hope, some day, Linus, gets his great pumpkin, too.

In the meantime, Happy Halloween from Barb's Tea Service, and happy carving to those who create with the traditional pumpkins! 

Brooklyn High Low: A charming afternoon tea in New York

Brooklyn High Low offers afternoon tea and a relaxing, vintage ambiance for guests.

Brooklyn High Low has many of my favorite things: afternoon tea, antique furnishings, vintage china and decor, scrumptious desserts and an address that ties to one of the well-known names of the Gilded Age. With such a mix, it's no surprise that I truly enjoyed my visit to the charming tearoom last weekend.

Located on 611 Vanderbilt in Brooklyn's Prospect Heights, guests enter from the bustling New York congestion into a whimsical retreat of plush furnishings and quiet tones - the figurative "comfort food" ambiance that makes one feel relaxed and taken care of.

Celebrating the weekend with afternoon tea!

And, then, there's the literal food to complete the experience, comprised of afternoon tea classics:  sweets, scones and savories. There are several options to choose from for a variety of appetites and occasions (and "extras", like the bundt cake that adds little "something/something" to the festivities).

Brooklyn High Low offers a variety of options for afternoon tea as well as "extras" such as bundt cake.

Our occasion was "wedding weekend". My son and daughter-in-law were married last week in NYC and along with dinners, receptions and ceremonies, afternoon tea was part of the celebration. Matt and Jenna have taken afternoon tea with us many times - including, within the past twelve months, the Palm Court in Manhattan's Plaza Hotel to across the pond at The Prestonfield House, in Edinburgh, Scottland - so they're quite accustomed to this most civilized repast.  The Brooklyn High Low was just the spot for a refined, but laid back, enhancement to the wedding par-tea weekend.

Tray of scones, savories & sandwiches.

The "Classic" is served with the house tea.

We all chose the "Classic" which consists of a bottomless pot of the "house" black tea, eight finger sandwiches (two of each per guest), a baked scone served with jam and clotted cream and, atop the third tier tray, a sampling of sweets.

Vintage serving pieces add to the tablescape.

Our favorites were the scones and the dessert plate. The chocolate mousse was delicious, packing a wallop of flavor in a small shot glass. The macarons were tasty, too - just the right texture. I had a chocolate mint macaron which I will heartily admit, was the best macaron I've ever tasted.

Brookly High Low Manager offered tour of garden room

The service was wonderful and welcoming and, although it was a very busy Saturday afternoon at Brooklyn High Low during our stay, it was managed well and we were able to converse easily in our section of the tearoom.

Brooklyn High Low is filled with antiques and vintage pieces.

What I would try next time:  either an upgrade to our "Classic" or order teas a la carte. Our group of mostly seasoned afternoon tea goers love trying different teas (I'd be on board for their Earl Grey) and, while the house tea was very good, we enjoy sampling ones we don't have as much at home. (I confess, I overlooked that detail when placing our final order).

Also, I may try out the garden section of the tearoom. The manager took me on a small tour, and the back patio space is magical, accented with greenery and lattice walls. It's hard to imagine this tearoom oasis is only a few steps from the crowds and traffic of this Brooklyn neighborhood.

Brooklyn High Low's interiors are in contrast to the busy Brooklyn streets.

In addition, there is another location which I'd like to venture to. The Parlour is in Park Slope, "under the stoop of a Brooklyn Brownstone".

No matter what you're celebrating, Brooklyn High Low, is worth a visit.

For more information, check out their website:  Brooklyn High Low

 

 

It's beginning to look a lot like. . . Autumn: Bringing out the fall decor and pumpkins in all the colors of the rainbow!

Autumn mantlescape featuring traditional colors of the season. . . but there's hues in the pumpkin patch.

 
It's the season of "sweater weather", leaf-peepers and pumpkin spice, and with regard to the latter, we're spicing up our Autumn decor with colorful pumpkins. And, while we love the traditional shades of orange for fall's favorite gourd, we're mixing it up with pumpkins in other hues to suit the pallets throughout our home. The pumpkins, in colors of the rainbow, have arrived!

Green pumpkins match colors of the living room 

In the past, I didn't raise the ante on festive decorations this time of year as, we who live in Michigan know, the season is short. The transition between summer and winter can often be abrupt with 80 degree days quickly followed by frost warnings. But, in its defense, our Mitten state provides one of best, be it brief, fall spectacular shows, imho, in the country. The changing leaves of vibrant reds, yellows and orange are truly awesome and, accompanied by crisp, cool air that pairs perfectly with chai teas and hot chocolate - well, it really is a time that should be celebrated even if it's only a fraction of the many months of our legendary long winters. 

So, in recent years, I've been adding more to this short season's decor, primarily via pumpkins, and primarily pumpkins made of glass.

Mauve pumpkinette is welcomed in the guest room.

I've been collecting glass pumpkins for just over a decade, starting my obsession at a local art fair and continuing the pursuit in art galleries in not-so-far northern and western Michigan all the way to Newport, Rhode Island. As my assemblage of finely crafted faux fall fruit grows, their different shapes, sizes and hues provide even more opportunity to add a bit of seasonal spice to spaces where, perhaps, before no pumpkin dared to go.

Much of summer mantlescape replaced with Autumn decor

After removing the summer "mantlescape", replacing the forsythia with the berry and leaf wreath, I added the complementary orange and gold pumpkins. But, most of my house is not a plain, white back drop, so here's where the fun begins. . .

Our living room has muted shades of green with a sage sofa and soft teal rug. Enter: one emerald pumpkin and one "Monet" pumpkin with colors inspired by the French impressionist. Tres magnifique!

But, one pumkin that really thinks outside the patch, is my pumpkinette from the Glass Academy in Dearborn. Each year they have a special edition color and when I saw mauve hit their website last year, I was smitten. And, yes, it adds a bit of unconventional Autumn whimsey to our guest room where pinks, lavenders and purples are very welcome.

A great season to enjoy nature, cozy sweaters, spice tea and maple leaf cookies. 

Fall is a grand time of year and I now embrace it inside and out. To tweak an old adage, I have learned it is better to light up the season with a rainbow of pumpkins, than to curse its brevity.

🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁

Happy Autumn from Barb' Tea Service. Enjoy nature's dramatic scenery, in your favorite cozy sweater, while sipping a delicious chai tea with maple leaf cookies!

Happy International Podcast Day! Barb's Tea Service celebrates with Podcast 19!

 

September 30th is International Podcast Day and Barb's Tea Service celebrated in a most appropriate way: we were in the studio recording our 19th Podcast!

Although we're new to podcasting, we're even "newer" to International Podcast Day. We just discovered it today, hearing it get a brief shout out on a morning news show. We had already rescheduled our podcast with ONTV last week - our usual slot is on Friday - but we switched to Monday as we had been on the road for much of September.  How exciting to learn that we were podcasting on such a special day.

International Podcast Day!

In the studio today, a most appropriate way to celebrate:

  

With a little more digging, we discovered more about this holiday from, not surprisingly, National Podcast Day's website (International Podcast Day). Already just over a decade-old, it was created by Steve Lee in 2014. Inspired by a radio announcement declaring it National Senior Citizen's Day, Lee, a podcaster, thought his special interest, shared by a growing community, deserved its own day as well. September was chosen because the first podcast in 2004, was in September.

Gaining a following quickly, National Podcast Day was rebranded for global reach. It became "International" in 2015.

National Day Calendar states that International Podcast Day "dedicates September 30th to promote the growing media of podcasts and the technologies surrounding it. Around the world, people listen to their favorite podcasts to keep up with the latest news, technology, entertainment, or information."

Our first podcast started in March of this year and, it's clear, that along with my co-host/arm candy, Chris, we're having a lot of fun talking about our passion, tea and tea-adjacent topics. But, we also know there's a lot to learn in the world of "pod smiths" (a term we picked up from the fictional podcast crew of "Only Murders in the Building"). We're continuing to enhance our skills with another podcast class this week at ONTV. This training will bring a new dimension to Barb's Tea Service's "talk show" and we're excited to share this next level with you all very soon. 

In the meantime, a raised cup of your favorite tea and cheers to International Podcast Day!

                                                      🫖🫖🫖🫖🎙🎙🎙🎙

How to access Barb's Tea Service podcasts:

If you are looking to watch as well as listen, you can find us on YouTube, either directly on our station or ONTV's site:

• Barb's Tea Service - YouTube
• Orion Neighborhood Television - YouTube  (search "Barb's Tea Service")

To be automatically notified when our latest podcast hits YouTube, subscribe to our channel. We appreciate your "likes" and "comments".

Audio only (our half hour segments are perfect for a neighborhood-walk-listen or a short drive in the car), can be found on SoundCloud via ONTV (again, search "Barb's Tea Service"). Just download the SoundCloud app.

If you have an iPhone, you can find us on apple podcast. Search "Barb's Tea Service" and we'll show up on ONTV-local voice. 

Fridgescaping: Bridgerton to Fridgerton!

Barb's Tea Service attempts "fridgescaping" at up north cabin kitchen.

 

Aside from the "junk drawer", in many homes, including mine, the kitchen space that garners the least creative design energy is the refrigerator. My goal has always been to squeeze in as many groceries, in a Tetris-like challenge, onto the shelves and bins among yesterday's leftovers and last weekend's pizza box. But no more! At least according to a new trend that's gaining traction on social media:  "fridgescaping". 

This past week, fridgescaping popped up as headlines on many of my on-line magazines and "think pieces" (among them, Good Housekeeping and Buzzfeed). Although these sources both credit blogger, Kathy Purdue, for coining the phrase back in 2010, recent Twitter ("X") posts reaching over 6 million views have shown the idea is gaining traction.

So, what is fridgescaping? As spelled out in Buzzfeed, it is "decorating and organizing the inside of your fridge to look stylistically and aesthetically pleasing, typically using things like baskets, vases, pitchers, and other items to achieve a desired theme".

One popular Tik-Toker, Lynzi Judas, a 37-year-old from the Hudson Valley, scored thousands of fans with her fridgescaping, although she's only been designing for less than a month. Themes she has incorporated inside her refrigerator include Beetlejuice and Bridgerton, although of the latter she prefers to call it "Fridgerton".

Lynzi lists being more aware of current inventory and inspiration to cook more, among the benefits of frigescaping, while others caution that not all decorative containers are food safe and some produce, per Nicole Papantoniou, the director of Good Houskeeping Institute's Kitchen Appliances and Culinary Innovation Lab, stays fresher in store-bought containers. 

With a relatively blank canvass - our refrigerator in our up north cabin - I thought I'd jump on the fridgescaping wagon and give it a try. My theme: moose. I chose this because it works with the environs and I have a number of moose decor items at the ready.

Completed in less than 15 minutes, and all that time truly shows, I put fresh flowers in the moose teapot, started a charcuterie mix in a moose bowl, and topped the assembly of bottled water, lite and N/A beer, orange juice and an almost full jar of salsa with a moose candle. It's no "Fridgerton", but what can be?

Bottom line take-away:  I don't think I'll hang with the fridgescaping wave.  Apart from the added time (even my 15 minutes could, arguably, find a better focus), I'm not a fan of putting picture frames and knick-knacks where I keep my food. However, I greatly admire the concept. Something so absurd and unnecessary has a certain charm, not to mention millions of views.

Glass Up Your Garden: Teapots and ceramic flowers are perfect additions for the tea garden!

Kathy Peirce and her "Glass Up Your Garden" booth at Lexington Art Fair

Afternoon tea in the garden is a lovely way to relax, enjoy a favorite blend and take in nature's colorful show. But even the flora of the great outdoors can support a little whimsy and when it's time to class up your garden, we know where to go:  "Glass Up Your Garden".

Kathy Peirce is the creative mind behind the glass flowers and teapots on poles that add fun, color and a bit of magic to any garden area. Gifted one of her teapots a few years ago from good friends (which resides front and center in our northern Michigan tea garden), we were instant fans. Last month, we encountered what we refer to as a bit of "serendipi-tea" when we stopped in Lexington for quick visit. We had the unexpected pleasure of not only arriving when the town had their annual Art Fair going, but Kathy Peirce of Glass Up Your Garden was there, too!

Our new pink flower's home in our Pemberly Pines tea garden. (See teapot to the left).

This time we got to meet the artist in person and found her as lovely as the flowers and teapots she puts together.

My husband, Chris, and I, had a daunting task at the Glass Up Your Garden booth. There are so many beautiful and unique pieces, it was hard to choose what ornament was next to be part of our tea garden. We finally selected a large pink flower, a bold and colorful masterpiece, that will hold its own among the scattered pine and oak trees the border our secluded northern oasis. (It is, quite literally, no "shrinking violet").

A bit of "serendipi-tea" found us in Lexington during their Art Fair, where Kathy P. set up shop.

After our purchase found its new home in our Pemberly Pines Garden, we followed up with Kathy to both show her where our pink flower now resides and ask a few questions about her business. She graciously agreed to share some of her story:

A few words with Kathy Peirce of Glass Up Your Garden:

• (BTS) When did you start your business and what got you interested in creating flowers and teapot ornaments for the garden?

Kathy: I started making these pieces about 13 years ago.  My sister-in-law made me a flower and I loved it!  She taught me how to do it and I was hooked!

 

•   (BTS) You do art fairs throughout the summer.  Where can folks find your products outside of fairs? Any on-line store?

Kathy:  Art fairs during the summer are my main avenue for sales.  My Facebook page - Glass Up Your Garden - has photo albums of all of my available pieces.  Customers that live in the area are welcome to pick up from my home in Clinton Twp.  I rarely ship as it is expensive.

 

• (BTS) With all your lovely teapots, are you a tea enthusiast as well? If so, what's your favorite tea and/or favorite place to have tea?

Kathy:  I'm more of a coffee drinker but appreciate the variety of teapots I find!

And, though, we primarily drink tea in our garden, we're not opposed to a little java accompaniment from time to time. 😊

For more information, see Glass Up Your Garden's Facebook page.